Sopore: The family of the 23-year-old Irfan Ahmed who allegedly died in police custody on Tuesday was told that their son will be buried in Sonmarg, a hundred kilometres away from his home in Sopore’s Sideeq Colony.
Soon after the news spread in Sopore, the neighbourhood erupted in protests and the administration snapped Internet in the region.
As per the family, when they and the local Auqaf approached the police asking for the deceased man’s body for funeral, the police told them that they will handover the body late evening but later denied, and said, “the police will follow its own protocol for burial.”
Irfan, a shopkeeper, who as per police worked as an overground worker, a claim that his family rigorously denies, was arrested on September 15 and during the course of investigation, taken to Chairdaji area of Tujjar-Sharief by a Police Team for “more recovery”.
“Taking advantage of the darkness, Irfan managed to escape and when we began search, his body was found near Stone Quarry of Tujjar-Sharief,” the Police said in a statement.
Irfan, along with his brother, Javed Ahmed, was picked up by the Police for questioning. Javed was shortly released while Irfan remained in police custody for a day.
“My brother is innocent and was a shopkeeper by profession. He was unmarried and that the police claims about recovery of grenades is nothing but baseless story.”
The family has repeatedly denied claims of Irfan being a militant and alleged that their son was killed in Police Custody.
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